Journey of Reunion - Part One

There’s nothing quite like packing up one’s bags and hitting the road. The sense of unbridled freedom, exploration and mystery of discovery which unfolds each day is a true gift for those with the Spirit of the Wanderer in their blood. Having five planets in Sagittarius (and taking my first transatlantic journey at six months old) seems to have helped instilled this Spirit deep within me. Yet, since returning from my last great international voyage at the end of 2019 (just in time for a global pandemic!), I haven’t taken a single solo roadtrip or even really left the US.. and my soul has been calling for the nourishment of novelty that only a proper adventure can provide.

So with a car packed full of supplies, singing bowls, camping gear and various implements and instruments of wizardry and magic, I embarked on a late summer Journey of Reunion. Destination: Canadia and back again. Timeframe: just shy of seven weeks.

This trip was planned as a living ritual of Homecoming. Each step and every stop along the Way weaving a web of connection with familiar and beloved people, places and trees. Having lived in Victoria, BC for five years, it had been six years since I’d been back to Canada after leaving on sizable waves of sadness, grief and letting go. By now the magnetic pull to return was profound and undeniable, and with excitement I took to the open road.

First stop, Inglenook! Never heard of it? Of course not, it’s a tiny place you can blink and miss on your way out of Fort Bragg, California. Here, tucked into the redwood trees and overlooking the sea, lies the Home of Megan and Marchelo. Once upon a time I also called this place Home, and it held me through the final stages of writing the Unity Seed sutra. Running miles along the flat, sandy dunes to the roar of the surf and hiking through endless forests, waterfalls and streams, the sutra came through, line by line. Returning after years away to see these dear, old friends and their den of incredible creativity felt really inspiring.. and running once more down the same beach I had a finished sutra singing through my head (with an entire orchestra of instruments playing along). To top it off I was able to harvest a perfectly ripe fig from the tree I planted thirteen years ago.. a most delicious way to return Home and feel the fruits of ones’ labor.

Continuing up the coast to Arcata I landed for a night, remembering my time living here back in 2007 and the initial impact that living in the embrace of the redwoods had on my Being. Hiking through the community forest in the morning brought tears to my eyes in the dazzling display of light and color gleaming jewel-like in the presence of these giant, ancient tree friends. The sound of the trickling stream and the dappled morning light bursting between the glowing leaves struck a deep chord of gratitude in my Heart. I wanted to stay in this liminal space of shining connection for a very long time indeed.. however I had need to move onwards.

This was no ordinary day.. and it was high time to fulfill a promise made to my brother Danny on his deathbed. No big deal.

I continued northward to Fern Canyon, which is an incredible place of sheer two-story cliffs, flowing water and myriad ferns bursting from every angle. This is a place I first visited with Danny in 2007 and where he requested, 15 years later, to have his ashes offered to a redwood tree after he died. In the more than two years since he passed, his ashes have been offered to multiple redwoods, the ocean, the Yuba river, the Amazon river, Machu Picchu and more.. but not yet the place he specifically requested. Fair enough, as Fern Canyon is pretty out there in the middle of nowhere, California.. and eleven miles down a dirt road. 

Ignoring the barrage of signs insisting that I must have a reservation (which I sure didn’t), I smiled brightly at the park ranger working the booth and she let me right through. Hiking through this gorgeous, lush rainforest canyon (where they actually filmed part of Jurassic Park) I remembered the intense psychedelic journey that Danny and I shared here many years before.. and felt his presence so strongly. Moving through the canyon and the groups of people, I realized that there were no redwoods to be found. Holding the brilliant and intoxicatingly fragrant rose I had picked that morning, I continued deeper and deeper still, climbing over fallen trees and past the people into the quiet, flowing hum of trees, ferns and water.

Suddenly, there was a beautiful redwood cluster growing right next to a giant spruce tree. I knew this was the spot. As I sunk into this knowledge a blue jay landed right in front of me and started singing. I joined it in song, and made a ceremony of offering. It was indescribably beautiful to feel part of Danny’s mortal remains living in this spectacular place, growing with these trees and flowing with this water. I love you, Brother.

From this sacred stop I continued through the redwoods of Humboldt up and into Oregon, wishing I had more time to run barefoot through the giants, but trying to make it on time for Ecstatic Dance. On a wave of fresh, coastal breeze I arrived in Ashland, Oregon just in time for Dance, and the smoke which had been present for days cleared and was completely gone upon my arrival. Soon I was dancing barefoot on the earth with my beautiful Southern Oregon community.

Bass bumping and vibrations shimmering through the warm summer air, I reveled in the sense of connection I feel with this place. The Sacred Meadow and Goddess Temple of the Jackson Wellsprings, the warm healing waters found a few feet under the earth and bubbling up into pools, and the vibrant, down-to-earth community of Ashland that I appreciate dearly. This place was Home to me for nearly two years, and it’s such a joy to be back and reuniting with so many special people. High on the list was the first hike in years with Amma and Noah, a reunion of our adventure/wildcrafting group we lovingly called “Just the Tips”. And that’s fresh baby fir needle tips, for your information.

Staying at Brother Tenasi’s farm, Mindful Earth, brought an abundance of connection, memories and delicious fruit! Blackberries and peaches, plums, mulberries and more figs than I could conceive of eating. This converged perfectly with the cross-quarter Holy Day of Lammas, the midpoint between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. A celebration of harvest and gratitude for the abundance of the fertile earth, there was a beautiful ceremony and feast at the Wellsprings that evening, where I got to see even more friends and share in the magnificent bounty of fresh foods

Topping this all off with the hotsprings was the only logical course of action.. and as I soaked and simmered in the soothing waters, a gleaming flash of inspiration hit me: the next Shentara Journey of Empowerment Retreat will be here at the Wellsprings in June 2025! Mark your calendars.. this is where the very first Shentara retreat took place in 2021 and it was EPIC. As I marveled at the clear message which whispered through the waters into my soul, I floated straight and unexpectedly into my dear brother Jordan Geometrae, on his way up to play music at the Medicina Campout. Good thing that’s exactly where I was headed, and the Divine confirmation of alignment sparkled and shimmered.

For those of you familiar with the Beloved Festival, it was one of the most amazing music and arts festivals to happen on the West Coast. It’s last year was 2019, and starting in 2021 our dear friend and sister Christina created a sweet, intimate micro-festival on the same property to celebrate her birthday. It’s an amazing convergence of beautiful people on such sacred and special land. I have been blessed and honored to teach Qigong at this gathering nearly every year, and this year was another epic celebration with treasured friends. SO much incredible dancing and frolicking and revelry ensued.. and after a few full nights of dancing I found myself perched until sunrise upon a heated, glowing neon waterbed (think: dry hot tub) with a succession of friends from Canada mysteriously drawn to me.. heralding and preceding my arrival. More confirmation that things are right on track and unfolding in ways both mysterious and divinely aligned.

Meanwhile Mercury had slipped into retrograde and as I left the festival I made my way to Vancouver, Washington to stay with my friend, Corrin. Immediately upon arrival I “lost” my keys and had to stay put for the next couple days, which was a welcome relief after so much driving and travel. As soon as I received the spare key in the mail (thanks, Kayla!) I found the original, tucked into a place I had looked through at least five times. At least I made it to Ecstatic Dance Portland to teach a Qigong class and dance my ass off with more friends before embarking on the journey to the Canadian border the next day. 

A mounting sense of excitement filled my being as I got closer and closer to Port Angeles, departure point for the ferry to Vancouver Island, Canada. I was also a bit nervous about making the ferry on time, as I had no reservations. So I flew down the highway and arrived just in time to be car #22 in the standby line. And, dontcha know, I was the very last vehicle squeezed onto the ferry..

Canadia, here I come!